Bridges

A bridge, also known as a fixed removable denture, is made to replace one or more missing teeth. Bridges can either be supported by natural teeth or dental implants. A traditional bridge is made by creating a crown for the teeth on either side of the space and placing a false tooth or teeth between the crowns. The false tooth or teeth are attached to the crowns and fill the empty space. If the teeth receiving the crowns are healthy and strong, they probably will not need root canal therapy. However, parts of the teeth will be removed to make space for the crowns.

Procedure

The typical process takes two appointments if you are already missing the tooth. If you still need a tooth taken out, come see us first for a consult and we will help you with that.

Appointment #1
After the dentist gives the appropriate amount of local anesthetic, they will prepare the tooth in front and behind the missing area for a crown. We will take digital impression scans to send to laboratory for the fabrication of the bridge. A final shade for the bridge will be taken and temporary bridge will be placed.

Appointment #2
After the laboratory has delivered the bridge to our office, we will remove your temporary and clean up the teeth underneath it. The dentist will try in your bridge and make sure it fits perfectly and you approve of the esthetics. The dentist will place the dental cement in the bridge and place it in. They will clean all excess cement and make sure the bridge feels perfect to your bite.

How to care for your bridge

On average, bridges last five to seven years. A major reason bridges fail is that new cavities develop on the supporting teeth. These cavities occur because of poor oral hygiene. With proper hygiene, which includes flossing your teeth under the bridge, they will last longer. You can purchase bridge flossers at all major grocery and pharmacy stores. Water flossers are also a wonderful way to clean up under your new bridge and keep it around for decades.